The present invention relates to systems and methods for designing and producing apparel, particularly apparel designed and produced for one or more target consumers based on new and improved fit specifications.
Apparel fit problems continue to plague consumers, retailers and apparel companies—pants that are too short, a dress that droops about the shoulders, a waist that is too big, shorts that sag in the rear or bunch up between the legs. For consumers, fit problems negatively impact their retail shopping experience, level of apparel spending and brand satisfaction. The cost to apparel companies and retailers is tangible as well as intangible: high rates of returned merchandise, lost potential sales, and brand equity erosion. Even for those apparel brand owners who believe they have solved the fit problem for a “target consumer,” there is a high loss in revenue when a consumer leaves with only a single pair of pants because only one out of five pairs fit properly. Returns on women's apparel are estimated to be approximately 10–12% of sales. According to a 2002 study, more than 25% of these returns are due to inconsistent or incorrect fit. Store front retailers process nearly $5 billion in returned merchandise each year. Catalog and eCommerce apparel returns range from 33–35% with the largest single reason for return being “poor fit.”
Currently, apparel fit specifications are based on an industry sizing standard established in the 1940's by The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). This standard has never been updated or revised. Thus, it has become obsolete as body sizes and physiognomy of the any target population has evolved over the last half century. Today, for example, ASTM standard specifications can only provide off-the-rack fit for roughly 13% of women aged 35–55. Apparel companies have been forced to apply their own insights to “tweak” fit specifications, and have achieved only a limited amount of success. In addition, companies now apply “vanity sizing” to many apparels, such that larger sized clothing are labeled with smaller sizes. Together, this has resulted in the dilution of size standards which has only increased consumer confusion, while failing to deliver appreciable improvements in fit.
Apparel fit and sizing are top concerns for apparel brands and retailers worldwide. Based on a recent survey, 62% of consumers say they can't find clothes that fit well; 57% say their body shape won't fit into today's standard sizes; 51% say manufacturers don't make clothes for real bodies. Importantly, fit should include size and design preferences for each specific population, because of the preferred differences exhibited by younger people as compared with middle aged or elderly persons and among ethnic groups. As such, unlike current systems, body cathexis (self body image) must be considered along with body measurements in order to develop a satisfactory fit among targeted populations.
A clear need exists for an improved and more modern industry standard for designing and producing apparel that will provide a better fit for off-the-rack apparel and will dramatically reduce product returns, accelerate sales performance, and increase consumer confidence and loyalty.